DISCOVERY EDUCATION LEADS K-12 DIGITAL TEXTBOOK GROWTH BY EXPANDING INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES AND HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE SUBJECTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Christina Scripps, Discovery Education
240-662-6502
christina_scripps@discovery.com

Heidi May, Discovery Education
240-662-2661
heidi_may@discovery.com

– Discovery Education Science and Social Studies Techbooks engage students beyond the walls of the classroom through dynamic, interactive learning experiences –

Silver Spring, Md. (March 23, 2012) – Leading the movement to transform classrooms through engaging digital content and deep professional development, Discovery Education is announcing an expansion of its digital textbook series to now include middle school social studies and high school science subjects. A complete digital solution that replaces traditional textbooks, the Discovery Education Middle School Social Studies Techbooks and the High School Science Techbooks inspire students’ curiosity and promote critical thinking through differentiated digital resources including interactive explorations and uniquely compelling video, images and informational text.

“Discovery Education is excited to expand our digital textbook series, enhancing our partnerships with school districts to advance student achievement through the creation of transformative classrooms,” said Kelli Campbell, senior vice president, Discovery Education. “Discovery Education Techbooks promote creativity and problem-solving, directly support literacy standards, and inspire curiosity while engaging students in their native digital environment.”

“Since School Town of Munster began using Discovery Education Techbooks, students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills have really improved. According to results from a national standardized achievement test, more than 45 percent of grade 8 students are now scoring in the top percentile in science,” said Maureen Stafford, director of program instruction and assessment for School Town of Munster. “The opportunity to learn with multimedia tools raises the bar for all students as these resources reach all learning styles. We are excited that Discovery Education is expanding its Techbook series, giving more students the opportunity to benefit from these digital textbooks.”

Launching in classrooms for the 2012-2013 school year, the Discovery Education Social Studies and Science Techbooks provide dynamic and engaging resources that meet the unique needs of individual learning styles. Through the inquiry-based 5E model of instruction (engage, explore, explain, extend and evaluate) used across the Techbooks’ platform, students develop a deeper understanding of the content and concepts. Updated in real-time, the Techbooks provide teachers the opportunity to incorporate cutting-edge thinking and current issues into their curriculum. The Techbooks also include an assessment component that measures students’ progress and recommends individualized resources that reinforce classroom instruction.

Recognizing that not all school districts have the funds to provide every student with their own device, the Discovery Education Science and Social Studies Techbooks are cloud-based and platform agnostic to work with whatever hardware a district has – iPads, tablets, mobile devices, laptops or desktops. In addition, the model lessons embedded throughout the Techbooks provide teaching strategies for differing technology levels – whether whole group, small group, or 1-to-1. The Techbooks are also a substantially less expensive option per student than traditional textbooks, with additional savings derived from a lack of textbook replacement or inventory costs.

In order to truly impact student achievement, Discovery Education partners with districts to effectively transform classrooms from the inside out. Therefore, included with the Techbooks, Discovery Education experts provide comprehensive, customized professional development to teachers and administrators to ensure they are knowledgeable and confident when implementing the Techbooks in their classrooms. The professional development and support expands beyond the classroom walls to parent and community nights and teacher membership in the Discovery Educator Network professional learning community.

The Discovery Education High School Science Techbooks feature interactive glossaries, explorations, informational text, and hands-on and virtual labs and include the following subjects:

Biology

Chemistry

Earth and Space Science

Physics

The Discovery Education Middle School Social Studies Techbooks feature dynamic, multimedia reference libraries; interactive maps, explorations and activities; primary source documents; informational text; and model lessons for every concept and include the following subjects:

United States History

World History

World Geography and Cultures

Discovery Education launched its revolutionary digital textbook series in the fall of 2011 with Techbooks for K-8 Science. The K-8 Science Techbooks are currently available in 36 states and provinces and have been adopted for use in classrooms across Texas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana and Oregon. In the first year of implementation, it has positively impacted more than 200,000 students and teachers nationwide.

For more information about the Discovery Education Science and Social Studies Techbooks, visit www.discoveryeducation.com or call 800-323-9084.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education transforms classrooms, empowers teachers and captivates students by providing high quality, dynamic, digital content for grades K-12 and community colleges. Powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital media, professional development, assessment tools and a passionate educator network to support districts in accelerating student achievement. Discovery Education services like Discovery Education streaming, Discovery Education Techbook and Discovery Education Higher Ed, are in more than half of all US schools and 35 countries around the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

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